The Quick Guide to Reading in Color

Thursday, September 17, 2009

YA and MG Giveaways!

So in honor of me starting to review MG books, I'm giving away 2 packs of book for my next giveaway in keeping up with my September giveaway extravangza! Each pack contains a YA and MG book.*Note I haven't yet read either of the MG books I'm giving away (they are high on my tbr pile though!)There will be 2 winners. The 1st winner will get to pick which pack they want and the 2nd winner will take the other.

In Pack 1 I'm giving away

Naming Maya by Uma Krishnaswami (MG)

Although Maya has done her best to avoid it, she is spending part of her summer in Chennai, India, with her mother, who is trying to sell her grandfather's old house. Soon Maya is drawn into a complicated friendship with eccentric Kamala Mami, who has been a housekeeper and cook for years in Maya's extended family. At the same time, Maya is thrust into an ocean of memories, all coming at her too quickly for her to understand. In particular, she is forced to examine the history of her parents' divorce -- all the more painful because she believes the trouble began with the choosing of her name. For years the tension has simmered in a cauldron of anxiety, secrets, and misunderstandings. It is only with the help of Kamala Mami and Maya's cousin Sumati that Maya is able to see what happened to her parents.

In this compelling first novel, a young Indian American girl finally learns that she can choose which memories to keep and which to let go.And

L.A. Summer bySheryl-Mallory Johnson (YA)

Now that she’s sixteen, Mikki is dying for a change of scenery. She’s certain that there’s more to life than living in the city of Boone, Texas, with not one cute boy worth a stare. Her wish is to return to Los Angeles and reunite with her best friend, Stacy, so she can experience the real world.

Stacy, known for her loud mouth and street smarts thinks her summer will be “jacked up,” with her father forcing her to attend summer school. After learning that Mikki is coming to town, Stacy’s hyped! She can’t wait to see her old best friend after their six-year separation. The only problem – the fear they’ve both changed too much to still be best friends.

Living in Mikki’s old house is Stacy’s new best friend, Carlette. Carlette is anxious to finally meet Mikki, if she can break away from her over protective mother. Mikki is not the only person on Carlette’s visitor’s list. Her new boyfriend, Bone, is at the top. If her mother finds out Bone’s real age and lifestyle, Carlette will be on lock-down for life.

Enter fine egotistical Dominick, the boyfriend of Mikki’s dreams and Stacy’s worst nightmare. When Stacy discovers that Dominick is checking for Mikki, she tries to protect Mikki from getting hurt. But like her cop dad says, “A bullet proof vest can’t save a man who gets in the line of fire.” Mikki may have to save herself.

Across the way Carlette has troubles of her own. After wild ‘n out all night with Bone, Carlette disappears. No one can find her.

Summer heats up for all three girls. Can Stacy and Mikki’s relationship withstand the test of time? Will Carlette be found...alive? Will Stacy reveal her secret about Dominick to save Mikki, or leave Mikki in the dark, struggling to survive in a city too ruthless for a small town girl?

A review of L.A. Summer is coming soon!

In Pack 2 we have

A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott (YA)

Fifteen-year old Genna Colon believes wishes can come true.When Genna flees into the garden late one night, she makes a fateful wish and finds herself instantly transported back in time to Civil War-era Brooklyn

I love this book so much, I want to give you guys another chance to win it! Read my review

Eigth Grade SuperZero by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

Reginald Garvey McKnight created a superhero character in kindergarten; now he dreams of being a real-life leading man: The Guy who’s got game and gets The Girl. Instead, he threw up on the first day of school. In front of everyone. Eighth grade has gone downhill ever since.

Reggie's story has both humour and heartbreak as he figures out what it means to 'keep it real'. In EIGHTH GRADE SUPERZERO, Reggie wonders why things are so bad if God is so good; his faith at all levels is challenged by his friendships, his work at a homeless shelter, and a pair of “Dora The Explorer” shoes. A school election leads him to the superhero within; Reggie finds out that sometimes winning big means living small

To enter: Open internationally!

+2 Commenting on my review of L.A. Summer (or any of the other reviews of the books in this giveaway) once it's posted

+3 Become a follower

Must answer this question: Why do you want one of these books?

Ends: September 24 at 11:59 PM CT

*Blogger is at war again with me today, so I apologize for the weird spacing!

I'd love to try A Wish After Midnight. Stereotypes are so rampant among teenagers, especially those I serve as a YA librarian in training, and I think reading this will give me a perspective into a different world.

I would love to win Naming Maya. It sounds fascinating - having grown up half in the US and in the Philippines, I'm always interested in how emigrating affects a family. The book sounds like it has mystery and suspense as well which always draws me in.

OR I as an alternate choice, I would also very much enjoy 8th Grade Super Zero because it sounds like such a fun read while weaving in realism.

I'm going to write Olugbemisola. I'd like to know how I can get the kind of favor you do. :-) Really, you have clout, girl.

Please enter me. cora_litrgroupATyahooDOTcom. I'd love all of these because we can never have enough goodies in our prize bucket and my pockets are too shallow to keep the coffers full. I'll likely check these out of the library to read or be very careful with these before offering them to winners.

Here is my list of reasons why I want it:- I read the review and it sounds absolutely incredible!- I'm obsessive about science fiction books that involve time travel!- I want to review it as a part of an event on my blog about YA sf/fantasy with POC characters!- I recently won a contest on Color Online where I got to pick a book out of the "prize bucket." A Wish After Midnight was on the list. I e-mailed in my choice only to find out the last copy was gone! :(

+2 I commented on the review of A Wish After Midnight.+3 I'm a follower.

+3 Already Follower.I really want these books because they aren't the sort of books I usually read and I want to be able to broaden what I choose to read. If I win them, I will be able to read more books which are different from normal, which is pretty cool, and, of course, they all sound really good.

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Reading in Color Wishlist

See also my GoodReads to-read list, since I own almost none of the books on there. If you own any of these books and want to trade for them (or just give them away! hee hee) then please contact me! This list is in no particular order.

My Review Policy

I'm happy to review books that are sent to me when I can. Contact me if you want me to review your book willbprez (at) aol (dot) com

I prefer to review YA books about people of color. Occasionally, I will review a book with a white main character, but odds are, that I will decline.

However, I do NOT review blog novels or e-books. Sorry!

Furthermore, I will ALWAYS review books honestly so if you only want a positive review, that's not me. I blog with integrity.

Reading in Color Ratings & Explanations

5/5=<3 A.Must.Read. Preferably buy it, but if you can't or don't want to, go to the library! The book was amazing. 'Nuff said

4/5=Excellent. Great read. Strongly recommended to read.

3/5=Liked it. Good characters, plot, etc. Read it if you want to be entertained and aren't very nitpicky.

2/5=Decent. Hit or Miss. If you see it, read it, but don't go out of your way to look for it. Don't read if you only like really, really good books.

1/5=One or two ok things about this book. Disappointing. Hopefully the next one by the author will be better! I hope I never have to give a book this review :(

"IQ" stands for Incredible Quote. It's one of my favorite lines from the book. I pick one that really stands out, whether it's funny, inspirational or deep.

"Off-Color" a review of a book that does not have a poc in it. These will be rare and far in between. Uusally they will have a poc as a secondary character or be authored by a poc even if the mc isn't a poc.